The best thing that you can do for nature is too make it part of your life. That’s why we’re asking thousands of people to make room for nature in their everyday lives this June. Please spread the word amongst friends, colleagues and family and get them to sign up, too! After all, all our lives are better if they’re a bit wild… ‘

That’s it, its a wrap. We’ve arrived a little hurriedly, at the 30th of June. The long summer days have cast their light through the north facing windows each evening, just for a few minutes; we call it the ‘sun on the lintle’ moment’.

The meadow is cut and basks in the hot sun. Just as it should.

I took this photo at dusk the other evening, just after they had finished mowing.

This afternoon I drove to the village of Waterhouses in Staffordshire, to collect Joe, he’d spent the weekend helping a Cub Scout pack have a high old time at Orchard Farm. Mr Uphilldowndale took Joe there on Friday evening, through thick fog, not a pleasant journey. This was whilst I was at a rather feisty public meeting, wearing one of my many hats, that wasn’t particularly pleasant either.

Waterhouses is set in the midst of beautiful countryside, but it was the nearby Cauldon Cement works that I wanted to photograph.

But there was no time to stay and play, as Joe needed to get home and get his homework done before his ‘weekend high’ slumped into Sunday night angst.

I’m looking forward to reclaiming some ‘me time’ to loiter around with the camera, but I’ve a sneaking suspicion its not going to be before New Year. So for the time being, ‘happy snaps’ it will have to be.

Joe was particular taken with the silos at the cement works,

he said when they were out in a nearby field, they could hear the echo’s of their shouts (of which I’m sure there were many) echoing around the inside of the silos.

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Uphilldowndale

Watching nature take its course, from the top of a hill in a rural area of Derbyshire, England……

Here I write about this, that and the other; posts are about whatever catches my eye, or captures my imagination: my take on the world usually comes from a rural perspective, but I make no promises…….

I have a bit of a ‘magpie’ mind, it is eclectic and has a preference for collecting bright shiny things. Comments are very welcome.

The cast… Mr Uphilldowndale (Mr Uhdd), and our sons, Tom aged 22 and Joe 20 . In addition there’s Jammy and Dodger the cats a small flock of maverick chickens and last but not least a bouncy dog named Spud, who has many adventures
I love the landscape here and the wildlife, I have a special interest in lumps of rock, as you will see if you stay around for a while…….
Welcome to this blog, I hope you find something of interest, and if you do, please call again; next time you are passing.
Heather Uphilldowndale